McNabb will have surgery for a sports hernia. He is expected to miss the final six games, another crushing blow for a team that had still hoped to make the playoffs without suspended receiver Terrell Owens.

“I’m disappointed that the injury has reached this stage and has ultimately ended my season,” McNabb said in a statement Monday. “I wanted so much to help this team turn it around and was unable to do that.”

Coach Andy Reid said McNabb will have the operation after Thanksgiving. Recovery time is eight to 10 weeks.

“He understands that it needs to be done, so he’s matter-of-fact about it right now,” Reid said.

All-pro cornerback Lito Sheppard also appears out for the season with a severely sprained ankle that will require surgery.

Sheppard was injured during the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants when he got tangled up with receiver Plaxico Burress on an incomplete pass. Sheppard was taken off the field in a cart and the Eagles originally announced the ankle was broken.

“There’s quite a separation between the ligaments, almost to the point where there was a dislocation of the ankle,” Reid said.

Neither McNabb nor Sheppard was placed on injured reserve, meaning each could return should the Eagles somehow make the playoffs.

An arbitrator is expected to make a decision on Owens’ grievance hearing against the Eagles by today. Owens is hoping to be reinstated or released. The Eagles plan to deactivate him with pay once his suspension is up.

Chargers: Tight end Antonio Gates said his sprained right foot was feeling better, and didn’t rule himself out of Sunday’s game at Washington.

“My foot feels a lot better,” said Gates, whose foot was in a protective boot. “It’s just day by day. I’m preparing to play this week.”

The Chargers didn’t practice and are off today, so Gates won’t test his foot until Wednesday.

Rams: Quarterback Marc Bulger likely will miss a few weeks with an injury to his throwing shoulder. An MRI revealed no tear or separation.

Also, punter Bryan Barker apologized for disrupting a halftime show that was a tribute to the armed forces by kicking the ball over bands and color guards. The Rams recognized more than 200 soldiers from various branches of the service as part of their annual “Veterans Day Salute” at Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. Near the end of halftime, when players typically return to the field to warm up, Barker began his preparation routine.

“I apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions,” Barker said. “It was not my intention to be disrespectful to our military personnel. We have a short time to prepare for the second half and I was only following my regular routine in getting warmed up.”

Dolphins Linebacker Zach Thomas likely will miss the next two games with a separated right shoulder.

Giants: Offensive tackle Luke Petitgout, who injured his knee in Sunday’s 27-17 victory over Philadelphia, could play this weekend in Seattle. Coach Tom Coughlin said Petitgout has no structural damage to the knee.

Patriots: Funeral services for Steve Belichick, father of coach Bill Belichick, have been scheduled for Wednesday morning at the U.S. Naval Academy.

The elder Belichick, who was an assistant football coach at Navy for 33 years through 1989, died of heart failure Saturday night at the age of 86.

Lions: The team filed a grievance against wide receiver Charles Rogers, seeking to recoup part of his $14.4 million signing bonus because he was suspended four games this season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

The Detroit Free Press reported the Lions are seeking $10.2 million from Rogers.

Linebacker Teddy Lehman’s season is over after he was placed on injured reserve because of a foot injury.

49ers: Defensive lineman Bryant Young could miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament his right knee. Young, tied for the NFC lead with eight sacks, won’t need surgery but will be out three to six weeks.

Jets: Quarterback Brooks Bollinger will start Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints despite a concussion that sidelined him for most of the team’s 27-0 loss to the Broncos.

When New England won the toss, Patriots captain Devin McCourty thought: “As soon as I saw it was heads, I was like: I’ve seen this before. I know what happens at the end of this one.” Does the NFL need to change its overtime rules?

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, despite being the only center among the NBA’s top 10 in assists per game (7.7) while leading also leading the Northwest division leaders in scoring (19.6 per game) and rebounding (10.0 per contest), ranked No. 7 among Western Conference frontcourt players in the NBA All-Star Game fan voting (1.128 million votes) as of Jan. 17.